A Truce?
by history101
Summary: Danny, intending to talk to Vlad about a truce, ends up discovering more about his arch enemy than he'd ever have thought possible. Stand alone story, no slash. As an amateur writer, I don't own copyrights.
1. Chapter 1

**A Truce?**

* * *

It was official; I was having an off day...or rather, an off few weeks. And it was all Clockwork's fault...well...actually it was Vlad's fault. It was all Vlad's fault. It actually started off pretty normally - we were fighting (again) and he happened to say that I was getting more and more like him in every way. Now, he'd said that before, I don't know why this one was any different, but for some reason, it really stuck with me and I couldn't get a moments peace. Every second of every day I just heard his voice in my head, mocking me, telling me that I was going to end up just like him; evil and manipulative, and it drove me mad.

And, of course, because of that, I hadn't been able to get the idea of the evil, future me, out of my mind either. Eventually I went into the Ghost Zone to talk to Clockwork, hoping that he'd tell me I was being stupid and that I was worrying over nothing - I'd got a lecture instead. He said that me and Vlad, both, were being stupid by acting like little kids, when we should be allies. I'd exploded, I'd said he was crazy and ridiculous and completely bonkers for even thinking something like that.

* * *

_"...He may be on the wrong track now, but he has his reasons," Clockwork had said._

_"His reasons?!" I scoffed, "All he cares about his getting revenge on my dad!"_

_"Trust me, Danny, it will work."_

_"Why should I? The guys nuts, why should I even try to make a truce?"_

_"If you want answers as to why Vladimir is the way he is, go and talk to him a week from today - you won't be sorry," he'd said and I took that as my cue to leave._

* * *

I kept replaying the end of the conversation over and over again in my head as I stared up at my bedroom ceiling. It was late at night and I was supposed to be sleeping but all I'd done was toss and turn on my bed and get more and more frustrated at the whole darn thing ; I supposed, in a way, it was all my fault for letting it get to me so much.

With a sigh, I sat up against the headboard, "I'm so gonna regret this," I said to myself sadly, then I went ghost and flew out into the night, towards Vlad's mayoral mansion. I took the long route because I didn't know whether it was a good idea, even though Clockwork said it'd work out, I still wasn't sure.

20, uncertain minutes later, I was floating not far from Vlad front door, I couldn't see a single light coming from the place, and I frowned. After another minute I decided to just fly inside and see what happened. If I actually survived this I'd be a miracle!

Just as I'd thought, the house was in total darkness; maybe Vlad was sleeping and if I disturbed him I really would be dead. Maybe it'd be best to just go home, at least I came and tried, but it was late, so he probably was sleeping. A single, quiet cough proved otherwise, so I followed the sound into what looked like a sitting room. Although there was a fire burning at the far end of the room, the first thing that struck me was how eerie it felt. I mean, his whole house was just empty and creepy, but this was a step too far. I wondered how long it'd take for me to lose my mind if I lived in such an isolated and empty place.

I saw stacks of books thrown all over the floor, there were odd bits of paper as well, and at the foot of one the large chairs closest to the fireplace I could see two empty alcohol bottles.

"Vlad?" I said quietly, "...You okay?" I floated slowly across the room and then I saw that there was also a half empty third bottle resting at his feet with a glass in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he muttered. He didn't sound drunk, but it wasn't like I had any experience in knowing if someone actually was.

"Erm...well...it...erm...it looks like, you're drinking...way too much actually," I said with a frown.

"Correction, dear boy," he replied, raising his glass, "I am celebrating," he hissed the last word.

"Yeah, some party," I scoffed.

"Indeed."

"So, erm, what exactly are you celebrating?"

"Nothing that would interest you," Vlad said looking up at me for a moment.

"Well, how'd you know it won't interest me if I don't even know what it is?

"I know," he answered sadly, and I had to wonder again if he what gotten himself drunk. This self-pity was so un-Vlad-like. "Just leave me be, Daniel, go home," he added with a sigh.

"But I...but you..."

"Your concern really is touching, but if I have any say in the matter it will not be remembered come dawn," Vlad chuckled as he emptied the glass and them poured it right to the top from the bottle.

"And you call me childish," I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, yes, one point to you, Daniel, félicitations," Vlad said the last word with a strange accent that I think was French.

"Can we even get drunk?" I asked. I knew that as half ghosts we had fast healing abilities and, I at least, didn't need as much food as I used to and although I didn't like to, I knew I could go days without sleep and still be on alert for ghost attacks. But since I was no expert on alcohol I really had no idea.

"Not easily," Vlad laughed, "This is one of the strongest vodkas, after five bottles, I've found it works wonders."

"And..right now?"

"And, unfortunately, right now I can still think straight," he sighed again.

"This isn't like you, Vlad," I said.

"Today it is."

"What's so different about today?"

"Everything," he said simply.

"Wow, are you sure you're still thinking straight?"

"I'm almost entirely certain of the fact," he nodded, drinking again.

"Uh-huh, sure," I raised an eyebrow in a way that I really reminded myself of the man sitting right in front of me.

"What are you even doing here, Daniel?" Vlad blinked.

"Well, I got to thinking about things, and...well. No, really it was Clockwork...see, I talked to him last week and I couldn't stop thinking about what he said, and I..."

"Please, get to the point," Vlad rolled his eyes, "And do sit down," he added.

I slowly took the seat opposite his and I toyed with the fingers of my gloves as I spoke again, "Erm, well, the point is, I...whoa..." I broke off to catch the bottle Vlad lightly threw my way without warning, "What was that for?"

"A present," Vlad answered.

"I'm too young to drink," I frowned, staring at the bottle in my hands.

"'Too young'," he chuckled, "You're how old now? Fifteen? I was drinking before I was thirteen."

"What? Why?" I choked. What kind of parent would let their kid drink 'the strongest vodka' that Vlad could find? "Why would your parents..."

"My parents," Vlad scoffed in the same, hate-filled tone, "My parents encouraged it."

"Why?" I asked again, "Why would they do that?" Vlad didn't answer me at all and I didn't ask again. What right did I have to ask anyway?

"Keep it," he said after a minute, gesturing to the bottle with his glass, "If you're anything like I was, you'll like it, and at least you have the advantage of enhanced senses. I didn't."

I bit back an angry protest that I was nothing like him because it didn't seem like he needed a fight right now. He needed someone to talk to, and if Clockwork was right, then the last thing I wanted to do was start a fight I had no hope of winning.

"What were you like?" I said instead.

"Stupid," he answered harshly.

"What, that's it?"

"It's all that matters," he shrugged.

"Are you sure you won't remember this tomorrow?" I asked him nervously and he just stared at me. "'Cos you're really not stupid, you know that...and yes, I did just say that."

"Much obliged," Vlad laughed.

"So...my dad never said you were a big drinker."

"I'm not," he said with confidence, "364 days of the year, one glass at dinner suits me fine."

"And, erm, and the other day of the year?"

"...Welcome to day 365," he said and I giggled.

"It's mid March, y'know," I told him.

"I am aware of the fact."

"Are you gonna tell me what's so special about day 365?"

"Technically, in some ways, I suppose it's actually day 1," he said to himself thoughtfully.

"Huh? Now I'm really confused," I leaned back in my chair, putting the bottle down on the floor before I did.

"23 years to the day, now," Vlad continued, "Exactly 23 years to the day."

"I'm still really confused, y'know," I looked back at Vlad.

"How long, exactly have you had your powers, Daniel?"

"Erm, a year and a half, I guess," I shrugged.

"No, I mean, exactly, how long," he insisted.

"Well, lemme think...a year and..." I stuttered, counting the months on my fingers. It wasn't something I really wanted to remember in detail because of how much it had hurt, so I didn't walk around every day with the time and date it'd happened plastered on my forehead. "A year and...four...no...five months...yeah...a year and five months..." I said again sadly.

"Congratulations," Vlad said sarcastically, "It took me 5 years 3 months before I could really think about the time scale of my accident with any coherency."

"What'd you...oh..." I frowned in realisation, "This is what your 'celebration's' for? Really? You do this every year?"

"Every year," he nodded.

"That's...sad..."

"Agreed."

"Don't you think this is a little...extreme?"

"No, I don't," Vlad looked at me, perfectly steady, "I don't doubt that your 'accident' was just as...traumatic...as my own. But yours, as I understand it, was not dragged out over so many years, your powers developed instantly, did they not?" he asked, and I wondered how he knew that. But this was Vlad; he knew everything about me after all.

"Yeah," I said, "I got my ghost powers almost the minute I got out of the portal...after it exploded."

"I did not," Vlad told me seriously. I was more than a little confused right now. I wanted to know why he was telling me about this, but he had drank the better part of three of the 'strongest' bottles of vodka, so I put it down to that. "Years of my life, wasted, not knowing if I was going to live or die...in some ways it ruined my life - what were supposed to be the best years of my life, at least.

"And you're still angry about it? Even after 23 years?" I asked, genuinely interested.

Vlad's eyes flashed red at me, but after a few seconds, the red faded and his eyes went back to blue again. "I don't know anymore, Daniel, I really don't."

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, I can't imagine myself without my powers now, I can't even remember how I lived without them, but what I had to go through to get them...what I lost," he sighed, "Sometimes - as ludicrous as sounds - I believe I'm jealous of you," Vlad said and I froze in my seat. Vlad was definitely partly drunk to even say something like that. Vlad was jealous of no one; he had everything a person could ever want, and he had no reason to be jealous of me, of all people.

"Vlad, I think you've..." I began, standing up from my chair I moved across to move the bottle away from him, but he paid no attention to me.

"...You haven't lost anything," Vlad explained, meeting my gaze with the saddest expression I'd ever seen from anyone in my whole life. "...Or anyone, you haven't lost time, either," he added.

"Come on, now I know that's the stupid vodka stuff talking," I smiled nervously. If he actually did remember telling me any of this then I was so dead in the morning - when his almighty hangover wore off.

"Speaking of 'talking', you never did get to the point."

"What point?"

"About why you're here?"

"I really don't think you're in any state to have a serious discussion, Vlad," I scoffed and he glared at me.

"Did you come looking for a fight?"

"No, I didn't," I told him with as much confidence as I could; I would need confidence. "I wanted to talk to you about...about...calling a truce," I finally said it and Vlad sighed, but he didn't say anything, he just stared into the fire. It didn't take long for me to get anxious though and I felt like my whole body had pins and needles, "Well?" I said after a minute

"I need another drink," was all he said, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Are you trying to be funny?" I scoffed instantly.

"Why? Are you laughing?" he smirked and I ran my hand down my face. It was like talking to 5 year old! I wasn't going to get anywhere with this subject tonight, but I could hardly let him just sit here and drink himself into oblivion.

"The last thing you need is more of this," I said quickly, looking at the bottle in his left hand and the glass in his right.

"Oh contraire, my boy, oh contraire," Vlad smiled empting the glass completely, then he went and filled it up again.

"Seriously, Vlad, you're gonna be like this?" I sighed, throwing my hands in the air, "Aren't you meant to drink responsibly or something?"

"Ha, now there's an oxymoron," he laughed deeply.

"You're so gonna kill me in the morning, I know it," I moaned, "I knew this was a bad idea, I just had to come over, didn't I? I couldn't just have stayed in bed, could I? This just had to bug me all week and make me lose my sleep, didn't it?" I said out loud to myself. "Argh...man, oh, man, I'm so dead."

"Now who's acting childish?" Vlad raised an eyebrow and I just rolled my eyes. Maybe, instead of looking at this as a death sentence, I should be opportunistic like Vlad and try to get to know him better; he certainly wouldn't tell me anything when he was in his right mind, but he was very talkative now. Would it be right of me to exploit his weakness? It was a weakness he'd brought on himself though, and I'd never find out unless I asked him right now.

"Vlad...can I ask you about something?" I finally had the courage to say.

"Ask away, dear boy, ask away," Vlad said, waving his glass around and I put a lot of effort into not laughing. My nerves seemed to vanish.

"If you didn't get your powers straight away like I did, how long did it take before you did?"

"...A good few years, very gradually."

"What was it like?"

"...Terrifying..."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. At least I'd had my friends to talk to though, whereas if what Clockwork had told me was true, then Vlad had been alone throughout the whole thing. No wonder it got him down. "Didn't you have anyone to talk to?"

"I chose not to, surely you, of all people, understand that," Vlad said to me.

"Yeah, I get it, but I couldn't imagine not having my friends around to help me."

"That's your problem," he scoffed harshly and I chose not to answer, instead I sighed and sat down in front of the fire in silence. I didn't know what to do, I'd never get Vlad to listen to me at the best of times, let alone now. "Your little truce idea won't work," he said after a while.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, you disagree with me on principle without looking at any other reasoning other than your own childish, black and white perceptions..."

"I'm trying to understand, you moron, that's why I'm here!" I yelled before I could stop myself.

"Why bother?"

"I told you," I explained, "I talked to Clockwork about...some things, and...well...I just..."

"Y'don't sound very confident," Vlad slurred slightly.

"I guess not, but you're not exactly filling me with any confidence now," I said quietly, forgetting that he too had enhanced hearing.

"I don't have any obligations to do so," he replied, "I offered to train you, I offered to teach you and you would listen."

"Yeah, because you wanted me to 'renounce' my dad, which, by the way, isn't ever gonna happen!"

"There you go again," he muttered, leaning back in his chair and turning his face away from me.

"Urgh," I sighed angrily, "If you wanna teach me so bad, why'd you ask me for something I can't give you?"

"Because of what he did," Vlad answered.

"Fine, y'know what, I get it, you don't like my dad, but why does that mean we have to be enemies?"

"Ask yourself; you decided that, Daniel," he said and I frowned. In a way he was right, but I'd decided we were enemies after he tried to kill my dad, that was reason enough, wasn't it?! Once again, I was doubting Clockwork; how could I ever get Vlad and me on the same side? It was impossible."Some legends say that ghosts relive their murders over and over again until they feel avenged - sometimes I wonder how much truth there is in that," Vlad added thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"Sometimes I think that's all I'm doing."

"I, erm, never really thought about it like that," I admitted.

"Of course not, you weren't murdered."

"Neither were you," I said.

"Half murdered," he corrected himself.

'I think...maybe you should let it go," I suggested. I expected him to shout and scream at me and then attack me, but he didn't do anything like that. He sighed and dropped both the bottle and the glass into the floor without even looking at them, and luckily they didn't break because they hadn't fell very far and the area in front of the fire was covered in a very thick, very comfy, fluffy rug.

"I can't," he said simply.

"Why?"

"I just...can't," Vlad answered me and not for the first time tonight, I felt sorry for him, despite everything he'd done. I understood that he was more than a little mad about my dad's mistake because it had out him in the hospital for so long and everything, but hadn't he more than made up for it? He was one of the richest men in the country, not to mention one of the most powerful ghosts in the world, why did he still need to be bitter? I watched as he out his head in his hands, and wondered if I should just go and leave him alone, 'cos I knew he really wouldn't appreciate this in the morning.

"Have you tried?" I asked seriously.

"Not for a long time," he replied quietly and I was suddenly very confused.

I'd started off wanting to reassure myself that I wasn't going to turn out like evil, future me, and now, I was more interested in Vlad as a person and less bothered about what I'd wanted. I was a bit ashamed that I'd only come here because I was being selfish and needy - things I'd accused Vlad of being many times before, but at least he was open about what he was; in fact he'd admitted it on more than one occasion to me.

"You could try now," I said.

"Why should I?"

"Look at yourself!" I shook my head, "You're sitting in the dark all by yourself, and you've drank three bottles of vodka for crying out loud! You're better than this! I can't believe I've got to tell you that!"

"Daniel..."

"What would killing my dad get you, really? I mean, you have everything you could ever want. You did well for yourself, didn't you? Would killing someone really change anything?" I asked quickly, "You said you couldn't imagine living without your powers, I can't either and I've only had them a year. How can you still be so angry when it got you your powers?"

"...I am teaching you something, after all; that's refreshing," Vlad smiled and I blinked. Of everything he could've said, I wasn't expecting that. "You're using your head," he explained.

"Yeah, and you're not," I scoffed and he hid a yawn behind his hand. "Maybe we should talk about this another time...if you don't kill me tomorrow."

"Don't be so melodramatic, child," he said tiredly.

"'Cos you're never melodramatic," I countered and he chuckled. "Look, it's just...I'm willing to try, if you are...might not work at all, but...oh, I don't know, I guess I'll come back later..." I said, waving my hand and I pushed myself up off the floor. "You're not gonna...y'know...drink anymore o'that...are you?" I asked, pointing at the fallen bottle.

Vlad let out a deep breath and stared down at said bottle them picked it up, "Vlad!" I shouted, but when his hand stared to glow I stopped and stared at him. I watched as the bottle and his hand were encased in pink ecto-energy and It just dissolved into his fingers which he stretched out a second later, as if to show me there was nothing there now. "Nice trick," I said.

"Good night, Daniel," he said simply.

"Yeah, 'night," I replied, and with one last look, I took off into the sky, and made my way back home. I suddenly felt very tired.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Truce?**

* * *

I actually slept quite well when I got home, but it didn't last long, as soon as I woke up early in the morning, I couldn't get rid of the image of Vlad looking so pitiful. So, as soon as I could, I flew to his house again. I expected him to totally waste me when he saw me, so maybe it was a dumb idea for me to literally fly to my death and sign my down death warrant with my almost 200 mph speed limit. I'd never had a hangover before, and I'd never really seen anyone with one except on tv a few times, so I had no idea what Vlad was gonna be like, but I couldn't help but feel like I was doing the right thing...mostly, and not just for myself either.

"Vlad?" I whispered, floating through his house. Somehow it was difficult to be loud in a place so huge and empty, "Vlad...anybody home?" I asked again, moving from room to room through the walls.

Eventually I came to the most amazing kitchen I'd ever seen, it was all in black and white with marble counter tops, but the curtains were closed against the sunlight. I looked around to see an island in the middle of the room, at which, Vlad was sitting with his forearms on the surface and his head was resting on them. He had a small glass in his hand. At least it didn't look like the stuff he'd been drinking last night, it looked more like fizzy water...although, why he was drinking fizzy water was beyond me.

"Oh, hey, there you are...wow...you look..." I stuttered, getting a good look at him when he raised his head.

"...Quiet...Daniel...be very quiet," he said and I raised my eyebrows. He was more pale then I'd ever seen him and it kind of looked like he had a cold. It was strange as well seeing him without the usual, perfect black suit jacket and tie he always seemed to wear. Instead, his trousers and white shirt were creased and crumpled as though he'd slept them and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"So...this is you with a hangover, huh?" I crossed my arms in mid air.

"Urgh," he sighed and waved a hand at me, "Go away," he muttered, taking a sip of the drink.

"Erm...what is that?"

"Aspirin," Vlad answered simply.

"Well, it's your own fault, dude," I smiled a little. In a way I was strangely glad to see him like this; it made him seem normal - human. Sometimes, I think that Vlad chose to act less human to distance himself from people, I don't know why he did it, but all it had gotten him was a big, lonely, empty home to drink by himself in. "Y'know, I really thought you were smarter than this," I laughed and he gripped his head, tangling his fingers in his white hair.

"...Quiet," was all he said.

"Okay, okay, quiet, I got it," I held up my hands slowly.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" Vlad asked me weakly.

"I...came to see how you were?" I answered, even to me it sounded unsure, but Vlad probably wouldn't notice anyway the way he was.

"Oh," he sighed with a confused expression.

"I bet it's been a while since since anyone said that to you, hasn't it?" I guessed sadly, but he didn't answer, instead he drank the rest of the water.

I watched as he slowly pushed himself up from his seat and carefully made his way to put the glass by the sink, but when he turned back around he knocked it off the counter. So, I quickly flew across to it and caught it before it could smash on the hard, shiny floor. I put it back on the counter, away from the edge and backed away slowly to sit on top of the island without taking my eyes off Vlad. "I didn't come to annoy you or anything," I explained when I saw him frown at me, "We're both half ghost, that's got to count for something, right?"

"I've already told you that," Vlad said.

"Yeah, but when you say it, it's usually when you're insulting my dad, attacking me, or trying to get me to be your 'apprentice' or something," I quoted the word with my fingers in the air. "...What'd you think'd happen, y'know, if you told my parents what'd happened to you?"

"...I..."

"Most of the time I can't get the thought outta my head, I just want to tell them, but I don't," I admitted, "I think my dad would be sorry for what he did, but you can't expect him to feel bad about something if he doesn't even know it happened, right?"

"Enough, Daniel," he said, "Don't start again."

"Oh...s...so you do remember what I said last night," I stuttered, "That's...that's good, I guess."

"Yes, fantastic."

"...I won't tell anyone," I said, thinking he'd only care about how it would affect his 'image'.

"...No one would believe you, anyway," Vlad said after a minute.

"No, probably not," I agreed, "But still...it's pretty sad that you let it get that far anyway. I mean, 23 years of...that...isn't good."

"I don't need a lecture from a child."

"Yeah, maybe you do."

"Go away," he repeated.

"No," I said. I was feeling unusually optimistic about this, and he certainly wasn't in any shape to waste me if he tried to fight me anyway.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nope," I answered quickly with a smile, "I'm gonna stay right here till you start listening to me...and if you don't," I grinned as my eyes caught some shiny silver pots and pans. I floated over to them, I picked two of them up, one in each hand, and then I clanged them together, really, really loudly. Even to me the noise was loud, but to Vlad, right now, it probably sounded a million times worse than it really was. "If you don't, I'll just do this...all day..." I laughed.

He really looked miserable; his eyes clenched shut and he raised a hand to rest his head in. "Daniel," he spoke quietly, but I didn't listen as I banged the pans together again. A second later, a weak, and I mean, weak, ecto-blast came my way so I just turned intangible - it didn't even make it to the wall behind me before it fizzled out in the air.

"You gonna listen now, or do I have to do this again?" I asked him, raising the pans again.

"No, enough," Vlad sighed so I smiled.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I said, putting down the cooking utensils. I was sure he'd never look at pots and pans the same way again after this, and at least if it didn't work out I'd always have the memory of Vlad Masters being cowed by stainless steel cooking pans.

"You really can be evil when you put your mind to it," he said sitting down on one of the island seats facing my back, so I floated into the air to face him.

I admit what he said got to me again, "I wasn't trying to be 'evil'," I sighed, "So stop saying stuff like that."

Vlad stared at me, I think in confusion for a minute before he gave a small smile, "It really does irritate you, doesn't it?"

"Huh?"

"That you are like me," he said.

"No, I'm not," I glared at him and he chuckled quietly. "...It irritates me that you think that though," I said, "Look, I didn't have to come back, I don't have to try and talk you into this truce thing, but I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do."

"You and your 'morals'...they're going to get you into serious trouble one day."

"Whatever," I shook my head. "Can we at least agree to a cease-fire...just for a while?"

"What am I to gain from a cease-fire?" Vlad asked and I dragged my hands through my hair in frustration.

"It doesn't always have to be about 'gaining' something! Haven't you ever done anything because you thought it was right?" I asked angrily, but he didn't say anything. "I know it'd difficult..."

"...It's impossible..." he interrupted me, "You can't have everything."

"It's not about that..."

"Yes it is. You want everything to be perfect but you don't understand anything. You want us both to 'get along' to make your life easier because as it stands, in your words, I am your 'arch-enemy'. It may surprise you to learn that my plans don't revolve purely around causing you grief. You've given me no reason as to why you want this truce..."

"I just said..."

"Don't lie to me. The thought must have crossed your mind before now, what would make you decide to act on it now? You mentioned Clockwork, didn't you? I suppose this is his doing..."

"Yeah, I admit, I talked to Clockwork, but it was only because you kept saying how like you I am! It got on my nerves!"

"You mean it scared you," he winced, I think at my shouting a second ago.

"Well, if you and all the other ghosts didn't keep attacking me just to drive me crazy..."

"You think I attack you merely to annoy you? You think ghosts attack this backwater city - out of the whole world, to annoy you? No, they attack it because your parents don't exercise proper restraint in their 'work'. They attack it because you made yourself so visible, so next time you moan about fighting ghosts so often, think about why you have to. Don't whine about having so many 'enemies' when you do nothing intelligent to change the fact or even to understand why they do what they do. I am not the way I am purely to make your life hell, although I must admit, the prospect does rather enthral me," Vlad said and I froze. "Don't you dare, accuse me of being 'selfish' or 'evil' or anything else that suits you, when you don't understand a single thing I do."

It probably took a lot out of him to give that speech and I could see he meant what he said. I'd been so confident before, and now I felt like a popped balloon. He sounded so heartfelt, almost like a wounded animal and I floated down to kneel on top of the island counter.

"I'm trying to change that now, Vlad," I whispered. I wanted to get angry and shout back at him, I really did, but I just couldn't find it in me. "Okay, first...at first I was trying to prove to myself that I wasn't going to end up doing bad things like you keep saying I will...I even told Clockwork I didn't think this thing'd work out. He told me that if I spoke to you last night I'd understand why you're the way you are, but I just ended up getting confused," I told him truthfully. "...Now I'm even more confused."

"Oh, my heart bleeds," Vlad scoffed and I let out a deep breath to stay calm.

"And you're not making it easy, either," I told him.

"I told you, Daniel, you can't have everything," he said, moving his head to rest in his hands, proof that he was still not in good shape if this really did come to a fight. "I offered you so much and you threw it back in my face, what do you expect me to do?"

"...You wanted me to leave my family!" I yelled and he buried his face in his arms again.

"...Petulant little brat..." I heard him mutter but he continued before I had a chance to shout back, "...You don't know...I had to learn everything by myself, there was no one for me to even take ideas from because I was the first of my kind! Ghost portals weren't so accessible 20 years ago. I couldn't just nip into the Ghost Zone whenever I wanted and see what they could do with their powers. You've no idea how much easier your life is. You know your capabilities because almost from the beginning you've seen what ghosts can do - what I can do."

I hated to admit it but he was kind of right...actually he was really right. I couldn't imagine not being able to go into the Ghost Zone when I wanted, because from when I'd had my powers my parents had the first real working portal - that I knew of - so there was plenty of ghosts to go round. I always knew what different powers different ghosts had so I could see what I could and couldn't do. Vlad hadn't had that luxury; the almost-portal that caused his accident was the first one in the world, so things were different.

"Mmmm," I sighed simply, "...I never really thought about it like that..."

"You're a child, of course you haven't," Vlad said.

"But...I think...you're right," I admitted and he raised his head to look at me, "And...I'm sorry...for everything, I guess."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "I am."

"Well, then, apology accepted, I suppose, but I'm not exactly sure how you thing a simple apology will change anything between us," Vlad said.

"Are you kidding me? 'A simple apology!' It was so not simple! I really meant it!"

"I know, and though it's a welcome change, and serves as proof that you are finally maturing, you no doubt, believe that I will drop everything 'evil' so that we 'get along'. Correct?"

"Erm...well, maybe..." I shrugged, "Look, you're doing it again, can't you just, please, act like you want this to work...for five minutes?"

"You think I don't?" Vlad frowned.

"I don't know!" I shouted, then he grimaced again and I held up my hands in apology. "You keep saying you want to teach me things, and I wanna learn 'em, but not if you're gonna want me to do things I think are wrong. Why can't we just try to get along for a while?" I demanded while trying not to shout and I could see that he was thinking.

I knew he really wanted to teach me about ghost powers, and hopefully, that was more important to him than his evil schemes, because it was to me. I thought we could actually get along if we tried, but at the moment it seemed like I was the only one doing the work.

"Very well, Daniel, we'll do this your way. We'll see how long this lasts," he said after a few minutes and I let out a breath of relief.

"Thanks, Vlad," I smiled.

"Don't thank me yet, it could all go horribly wrong."

"Think positive, V-man..." I said and he glared at me and I stopped smiling in an instant, "...What? Too soon?" I asked, and he still just glared at me. It was making me nervous. "Well, I erm...I guess I'll leave you and your hangover alone now," I said.

"Much appreciated," Vlad replied sarcastically and I gave him a quick salute before I flew up through the roof, into the sky.

* * *

A.N. Okay, once again, I really I intended this to be a one chapter thing, but I couldn't help but write this little sort of epilogue to go with it. If anyone thinks that Vlad is being OOC I apologise, but I think it's a plausible idea, which is why I wrote it. I'm not a fan of OOC stories but everyone has their own opinions of what they think it entails, so you'll have to let me know what you think.

I think, judging from all the Danny Phantom stories I've written, that I'm a big, big Vlad fan, (huge understatement) and as such, I only ever seem to be able to write Danny and Vlad father son things, or at least ideas where they have a better relationship, (Note, I am not a fan of slash in any fandom.) I just really like the idea of Danny learning things from Vlad even if he doesn't realise it at first, because in comparison, Danny has it much easier than Vlad even though Vlad's rich, well to do, etcetera, etcetera...did I mention rich?

Anyway, bottom line; this story is as finished as its ever going to get, and I'm still much too obsessed with this little cartoon than I would honestly like. TTFN!


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